In August of 2018, I used Zwift’s free trial period to do my very first FTP test, which resulted in 178 watts, or 2 w/kg with my weight at the time. A few days ago – 20 months later and 16 kg lighter – I averaged 298 watts in the first 20 minutes of a Tempus Fugit time trial, which resulted in a new FTP of 283 watts, or 4 w/kg. This is the story of my improvement, and how Zwift has been a key part of it.
The Final Wakeup Call
Around two years ago, on an otherwise regular morning, I was stepping down from the scales after looking at the highest number I had ever obtained: 89.9 kg. At my height of 169 cm, my BMI of 31.5 put me in the obesity category. Although there had been plenty of alarm bells before, this was the final wakeup call that made me re-evaluate my sedentary lifestyle in which I paid very little attention to my dietary and exercising habits.
First Steps
The first action I took was to add some walking to my daily routine. When going to work, I would get off the bus one or two stops before mine, to add a few blocks of movement. On weekends, I started riding my bike, no longer than 30 minutes at first, though I soon ventured to the 520 trail from Redmond to Seattle, which provides some short climbs that proved to be a good challenge for my weak legs (in other words, I was destroyed after some of them).
I began to discover the world of road cycling. I had seen the Tour de France on TV for years, but the fact that it existed was pretty much the extent of my cycling knowledge. I was also using a road bike for the first time, a very basic and cheap model that satisfied all of my needs. It moved. It shifted. The brakes worked.
In modern fashion, I turned to the Web to find some info on how to care for my bicycle, what trails were good in the area and what kind of bike exercise I should try in order to lose weight. From what I gathered, a power meter was the way to go for taking training to the next level, even if I had no hopes of reaching a high level. I invested in some Garmin Vector pedals and did my first few rides with power.
Rolling Forward with Zwift
The numbers told me little, however, as I had no idea of my FTP. In another investment, I got a basic fluid trainer, started a Zwift trial and did my first FTP test on August 3, 2018. With a result of 178 watts and a weight of 86.3 kg, I was just below the level of an untrained novice, with a power-to-weight ratio of 2.06 w/kg.
During the next few months, I combined outdoor rides with some of Zwift’s training sessions. My only goals were to have a good time and to improve my fitness, and I succeeded in both. I lost around 10 kg while steadily increasing my power to 200+ watts. I was approaching 3 w/kg.
Hitting a Pothole
Then life got in the way. I won’t make any excuses, but I had a tough month in which I was entirely focused on something else, and I stopped exercising. Anxiety-induced eating certainly didn’t help, and I quickly recovered almost all of the lost weight. By the middle of May 2019, I was back at 87 kg, though fortunately I hadn’t lost much of the strength my legs had gained.
Remembering the previous wakeup call, I had a stern conversation with myself in which I acknowledged the situation and decided that I wasn’t going to get close to my previous “record” again. I went back to the bottom of the hill and starting pushing the stone upwards again.
Knowing that the benefits of exercise are seen over the long term is one of the toughest things that go through your mind while you suffer through the climbs and the Zone 5 efforts. But I had made up my mind and I was adamant, so I pushed through. Perhaps a key motivator was the knowledge that I had done it before, both the weight loss and the fitness gain, so I would be able to do it again.
Badges and Incentives
Another motivator, mundane as it might be, was the many badges and incentives within Zwift itself. As I write this, I’ve done all but 3 routes: the Mega Pretzel, the Uber Pretzel, and the Tour of Fire and Ice. The latter I’ve skipped not because of its difficulty, but because I want to make it coincide with my 25th ascent to the Alpe du Zwift, so I can get that badge as well. As part of this journey, I’ve done the full prudential, 25 laps to the volcano, and an imperial century courtesy of the Vegan Cyclist.
As for other incentives, you have all the levels and unlocks and the Tron bike to look forward to. I’m one level shy of getting the aero helmet for a proper time trial setup, in which I shall tackle Tempus Fugit once again for a fresh attempt at a new FTP.
Weighing Down, Powering Up!
Badge after badge, my weight started to decrease. The daily differences can be discouraging at times, but the overall trend started to become apparent.
In the meantime, my power was building up again. I had an internal milestone every 10 watts, so I went from 220 to 230, then looking forward to 240, and so on. In my mind, the goal was to reach 70 kg with 280 W, which would give me 4 w/kg.
The power came first, during stage 7 of the 2020 Tour de Zwift. I averaged 294 W over 20 minutes, which gave me the next FTP milestone of 280 W. I was still 2 kg over my weight target, but as I had been losing 1 kg every two weeks for a while, it was only a matter of giving it another month.
Right on cue, on March 2nd I marked 69.9 kg, which made it the first time I’ve seen a sub-70 number in more than a decade of struggling with my weight. Four days later I would also improve my FTP by 3 watts, when I averaged 298 W on the first 20 minutes of a Tempus Fugit time trial:
What’s Next?
As I’m now within the normal range of BMI for my height, I don’t expect to continue losing weight at the same pace as before, but I do expect to lose a few more kilograms. My next big milestone is 65 kg and 293 W of FTP, for 4.5 W/kg, and my target date is 3 months from now. Is it possible? I think so, and I’m already working to get there.
Now that I find myself at 4 w/kg for the first time, I should soon be racing with the A category on Zwift. It’s a scary prospect, but one that I’m sure will push me even closer to my limits.
See you all in Watopia, and keep riding on!
What About You?
Have you seen big fitness gains thanks in part to Zwift? Share your story below – or better yet, submit an article to [email protected] for publication here on Zwift Insider!
I’ve been wondering if this gain is possible for me. Currently sitting at 3.5. Started around the same time about 20 months ago at 2.3. I feel stuck at 3.5
I also wonder about upper limits. Maybe it’s tied to VO2max? I’m close to 4w/kg, having started somewhere close to 3w/kg. Can’t believe I would even reach 5w/kg.
To the post author: Kudos! When it gets though, see rule #5 😉
Hi
You be back to birth weight in no Time lol
Right on .keep it up
I was 237Lbs last november and now at 218 lbs
Im 6’1″ large frame .but still paying the price on the hills ..
My goal is 209 lbs.
Great story. I started zwift without any plan in mind but went from 89 kg, 170 W FTP (1.9) January 18 to today, 80 Kg, 220 W FTP (2.7) and expect to lose some more Kg and gain some W in the next couple of months, hopefully to get to 3 W/Kg! Your story is very encouraging, RIDE ON!
Congratulations you are an inpiration I started 15 feb of 2020 and I have very similar goals…
I will try my best specially now with all this going on with covid-19
Keep up the good work.
It’s the article I’ve been waiting for! Thank you Alejandro. I’ve had Zwift for about a year, but when I initially started it was HARD. I weighed 90kg and my first FTP was 115w. Not a good w/kg ratio. It felt so defeating when everyone was passing me.
So my trainer collected dust… until I started Christmas vacation this past December. I searched for articles on how a heavy out of shape guy could get started. Didn’t find anything, so I had to simply motivate myself.
I too began simply riding the routes with the hope of simply finishing them. I said that I would ride at least 3x a week for 30 minutes. So far, I have accomplished that every week since then!
My FTP is not 159w. Not wonderful, but improved.
I ride in races… not to win… just NOT to be last.
It has been a wonderful “ride”. (pun intended)
I now have spoken with my brother-in-law. He just bought a trainer and is starting the same road I started.
Please post an update article in 3-6 months! I would love to hear your progess.
My goal is simply to get to the top of Alpe de Zwift by end of year 🙂
S. Latta
Glad to hear about that progress! It was similar when I started. Racing not to be last, being lapped by the front group, I would finish every race with an average heart rate of 175 bpm or more. As time went by, I gained fitness and I can now ride with the front group most of the time, and I can do it at a lower HR too, so I can save energy for the small climbs and accelerations. You’ll get there too!
Unsolicited advice: don’t wait until the end of the year to tackle the Alpe. My first one felt like it took forever, and I was really tired. I think it took me 90 minutes, maybe a little more. But at least you’ll know that you can do it. Pace yourself and take it slowly.
I just started with Zwift at the start of the year, and did the Alpe yesterday in 92 minutes, but I’m also already seeing a bit improvement in a couple of months, and plenty more to come I’m sure. Thanks for the article and the other comments, I feel much less slow and alone now! All my Zwift friends are long term cyclists who are much faster than me.
Thanks! Just might try it…
GREAT uplifting story; thanks for sharing Alejandro and keep going!
Much Respect 🤘❤️🤘
Great work and nice writeup. For what it’s worth regarding the aero helmet, I think it’s just cosmetic – it doesn’t change your performance in-game.
Haha, yes, that was my guess too. The disc wheels were the true last upgrade, though the helmet completes the package for a better look 🙂
Great story! Can you please provide some tips on training? Did you follow any particular training plan, just raced a lot, rode a lot, or all of the above?
I tried to follow a few of the plans that come with Zwift, with moderate success. I think at some point I read some articles that criticize those plans because they look flashy but they’re not very good, as “real” training sessions look a lot more “boring” (they don’t vary too much between zones, for example).
In any case, for a while now I’ve been doing mostly races. I find them more fun. I’m trying to add some sessions for specific skills, like the sprint and short term power surges, which I didn’t have at all a few months ago, and now I’m getting better at that.
Of course, this might not be for everyone. People taking the sport more seriously might want to prioritize training sessions, but as I was in “get fit” mode, my priority was to have fun 🙂
I was curious about this as well. How often did you ride (how many days per week), and for how long on average?
Great story, and congrats on your accomplishments!
Thank you! I started with 2 to 4 times a week, usually short sessions, half hour to one hour. As I got fitter I was able to do 5 times a week for one hour, and maybe one longer session.
Right now I’m riding 6 days a week, usually more than one hour every day, including one or two longer rides (2 or 3 hours).
The key is have fun! Don’t overthink training plans – join group rides & races that look like your pace and length and have fun with others, that’s how I’ve done it since joining in December. And you get to know which routes offer different types of efforts too – you can have an interval session without going in training mode just by joining a sands & sequoias ride, for example.
As long as the fun is there you’re more likely to go back for more!
I started with Zwift a little over a year ago but was already a pretty good runner who had transitioned to triathlon a year before that.
First FTP Test was 186 which put me exactly at 3.0w/kg. In hindsight that wasn’t a 100% effort though and when I tried again a month later I got to 220 watts. Last FTP Test a couple weeks ago had me at 288 watts at 61kg. Don’t really have a long term goal but 300 watts would be pretty cool, especially if it happens at race weight of 60kg.
great story btw, very inspiring!
Very inspiring Alejandro ! Thank-you for sharing your journey…Ride On!
Thanks for this. Your story is very inspiring. I started a few months and am struggling to maintain 2w/kg. Way better then the 1.5 when I started but that was literally just before my heart attack. All is good thou and Cardiologist gave my a thumbs up to push harder. Someday I hope to get to 4w/kg as I’m tired of everyone flying past me, but for now I’ll settle for 2.5w/kg.
Battled past a heart attack too. Been 5 years. Getting stronger thru zwift. Cya online. Ride On
Congrats!
curious about what you chose for your diet and preworkout food.
To be honest, I haven’t changed my diet much. I’ve reduced (not eliminated) junk food, but mostly, I’m just more aware of what I eat, especially in terms of calories, and that gives me an idea of how much I should exercise to lose weight, which should be changing soon to just keeping weight without gaining more.
As for preworkout food, I don’t take any training products. Just a cereal bar or gel for every hour of training, especially during long rides, with plenty of electrolytes. What I will say, though, is that I choose powdered Propel over any of the mainstream bottled drinks (Powerade and such). It’s way cheaper, it lasts longer, and it doesn’t have the cost in plastic trash.
Thank you Alejandro, I found that a really inspiring story. I’m currently where you were in August 2018 – or maybe September. I did my first FTP test a month ago and was 178 Watts too. I just set a new PB of 198 Watts in Stage 5 of the 2020 Tour of Watopia. I’ve lost 10kg, but have another 10-12kg to go. I’ve been wondering if it was possible to get to the 285 Watts mark by the end of my journey. I thought that was too optimistic. But you have given me hope. Thanks again for your story. And kudos too you. Fantastic effort!
Great job! Inspirational!
What an inspiring journey! Congrats Alejandro!!
Nicely done Alejandro!
I’m curious about your video. Where did you find this event which seems to mimic the behaviour of Zwift on the Alpe segment ? I don’t recognize the UI !
The video is from a Zwift route called Tempus Fugit. There’s usually a time trial event there, and it’s really good for FTP efforts because it takes slightly longer than 20 minutes, and the terrain is very flat. The UI is from the Apple TV Zwift app.
Very well done! If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?
Anyone out there done a similar thing and gone from 3-4w/kg at age 50?
As Simon said…great job! I’d also like to ask how many hrs/wk were you training? I can’t seem to get over the 3.5 w/kg hurdle. I’m 51 and doing about 8-9 hrs/wk on the bike.
The number of hours has changed at different times. I would say I’m also doing at least 8 or 9 hours per week at the moment. Now, different people will peak at different power. I’m also wondering if I’ll be able to go over 4 W/kg, but only time will tell.
If you’re stuck, you could probably seek advice from a coach that could guide you and choose training sessions that will target the specific skills that you need to go to the next level. Maybe you have the strength but not the endurance, or vice versa. Whatever the case, I’m sure there’s a way of training for it!
I should’ve mentioned this in the article. I’m 35 now, and I started this just after turning 33.
I’m only just hitting your starting ftp after 3 months on the bike and well it’ll be a long whopile before I’m 2w/kg.
Thanks for the article. I must say I Enjoy and relate to the articles written by people who are in the mid to back of the pack a lot and find them very inspirational. The person pushing at a maximum of 2 w/kg is working just as hard but is only getting passed, while the stronger folks at least have the pleasure of passing other cyclists. I have enormous respect for anyone out there working to improve. Very well done!
Best motivating article 🙂 Love Zwift and zwiftpower.com how can you see exact numbers and real changes, when your weight goes down and your FTP goes up! Good job and good luck to all to have fun and improve 🙂
This is AMAZING! I’m currently on a journey to lose a lot a weight via dieting and cycling. Zwift has been a big influencer for me so far. This story is inspiring, thank you for sharing.
Wow! What an inspiration ! Congratulations for all the effort and progress.
I start zwift in november, 67kg, 171cm (good shape) but i need to do sports. I quite smoking 1y ago and need to work cardio.
First FTP test 178W (2,65w/kg) in november. I did some exercice on zwift 2h/week then since january 4h/week. My last FTP test 204W (3,05w/kg) on last monday. I feel better, cardio is better : lower bpm, i can ride now more than 3h in real.
I plan some rides (after covid crisis) this summer : Mont Ventoux for example and some sportives. I will try to increase poser to 3,5w/kg before this summer it could help for very long climb like Mont Ventoux.
RIDE ON for you! And keep having fun its the most important thing.
That’s great improvement, especially if you were a smoker! I also noticed the lower bpm after some time, at the beginning it was always high!
The Mont Ventoux sounds amazing, hope you get to climb it this summer!
Hi, Do you think it is reliable to do an FTP test simply using the cadence and speed sensors? I have been using Zwift with a roller without connectivity for 3 months and I do not know if this data is reliable to carry out a training plan
This is just my personal opinion: I don’t think it’s too reliable, because on Zwift races you see people only with cadence/speed sensors and they put way too much power.
That said, if those are the only sensors you have, and you do a test with them, then you can do a plan based on the FTP you get. As long as you are consistent and don’t switch to power meter, you should be mostly fine. Now, as soon as you get a power meter or smart trainer, do that FTP test again so you can have more accurate numbers. Good luck!
Nice job Alejandro! Very fascinating story! How did you develop your fitness from time to time to this level? I am very curious about that story because I’m busy with training and rides on Zwift (climbing mountains is difficult in Holland 🙂 ) and at the moment using a plan of Zwift.
Thanks Pavel! I think the fitness came naturally with the weight loss and the increased load. I did some training sessions, but mostly I just did races, trying to improve every time. I couldn’t tell you exactly when the improvement came, but I can tell you that I did notice that at some point I could stay with the front B group with a high effort, and eventually I was able to stay with the front B group at a medium effort, saving the hard efforts for the climbs, for example.
Similarly, when my FTP was below 200 W, it was hard to maintain that rhythm, but now I can stay at 200 W with a low heart rate, because it’s now within my Zone 2 range.
WOW. Great story Alejandro! Kudos!
Thank you Alejandro for the nice story. Personally I started zwifting and cycling in September 2018. During the first months I was wondering about how much improvement can be expected per month if you train regulary. At that moment your story would have been very helpful to answer that question. Doing the math on your data reveals that on average you have been increasing your WKg by 0.1 and your FTP by 5.53 Watts every month.
I think that your story and your results are very inspiring for people who want to improve in cycling. Just for the sake of completeness, can you also comment on you age and on the average amount of hours you have been training each week? I think that this information can be helpful to adapt your improvement data to a wider range of cyclists.
Congratulations on your patience, persistence and ensuing accomplishments! Your story is a true inspiration for me.I started Zwift in late December 2019 – . Before that, I was riding (outdoor and indoor) and going to the gym inconsistently; telling myself I was getting back into cycling after 10 years away.I’m older and heavier at this new start, but inspired by your commitment and persistence to achieve your goals – and at a reasonable pace. I just started Zwift’s Build Me Up training plan, and your article has inspired me to shift my thinking from ‘hopefulness’ to ‘intention’. Again – congratulations, and thanks for sharing your story.
Would be nice to know about your workouts and hours a week training as improvements depends on that too. Nice article.
Well done and thank you, as this is really inspiring article!
Love this article, can’t put into words how motivating it is to read, thank you. I’ve been a heavy commute cyclist for years, doing a 30km round trip most days, but weighing in around 99kg (I love my food). Due to Covid19 lockdown I’ve had to pause this and purchased a Turbo trainer for my sanity. I joined Zwift on 10/04/2020, my first ftp on the 12/04 was 196w, I got bumped to 264w not long later, then 274w on the 20/04 (probably my true Wattage). Nearly 1month in and I now weigh 94kg, have cycled 463km and just about to finish week 3 of a training programme.. I’m just 2kg shy of the lowest I’ve weighed in 20 years and hope I can follow your lead Alejandro and smash that!
This is awesome! Yes, that feeling of looking at the scales and seeing your lowest weight in a while is very motivating, it helps a lot. Keep it going!
Inspiring story Alejandro! I am a new Zwifter who started at 189w after my first FTP test 3 months ago and now at 200w with a weight of 70kg. My target is to hit 3.5w/kg. I have been avoiding normal rides to avoid junk miles and I have been doing a lot of training sessions but I have not been sticking to a plan. I select random training sessions but my favourites are FTP intervals, over unders and SST. May I know the training sessions that you normally do or is there any training plan that you would recommend?
Thanks for your comment! As I’ve mentioned in some other replies, I haven’t really done much training. At the beginning, it was mostly doing races that got me in a better shape. Eventually you might reach a point where it’s really hard to improve just by riding casually, so in that case you could choose training sessions. The ones that I’m recommending at the moment are polarized intervals. They really test your abilities to recover while at the same time getting your body ready for the next jump in FTP! Good luck!
buena Alejandro, saludos de Chile
Thanks for inspiration Alejandro and congrats on the journey!
I am 32 (almost 33), 65kg and 175cm. I started regular training for the first time 3 months ago at 177w FTP (2.7w/kg). I’ve increased pretty steadily to 213w FTP (3.3w/kg). Really hoping to get to 4w/kg before the end of the year and hopefully up to 4.5 w/kg next year.
Onward and updward my friend! Please update us sometime on your quest for 4.5w/kg.
Hi Alejandro, great article and very motivating. I’m just starting back on Zwift after, same as you, ‘life getting in the way’ but your article has given me hope of passing 3 w/kg and more. All the best.
What an amazing journey, Good job man!
I feel very identified, because my numbers today are very close to the ones you started with (171cm, 86kg and 2.2w/kg), and my goal is to reach 75Kg and be over 3w/kg. I hope I can get there at some point, and the races in your team have been a good motivation. Thank you for sharing your story.
Un abrazo!